The University of Montana

The University of Montana Enrollment and Financial Aid Info

Located in Missoula, the University of Montana is a public university that offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and first-professional degrees. Read about the pros and cons of the school, plus ranking, tuition and admission information.

Is the University of Montana the School for You?

The University of Montana (UM) is located in Missoula, the second largest city in Montana. It is a 4-year public university that offers associate and bachelor's degrees at the undergraduate level, and master's, doctoral, and first-professional degrees at the graduate level. Consider the pros and cons below to decide if the University of Montana is the right school for you.

Pros

Acceptance rate is 94%, 28.5 percentage points higher than the national average

Following graduation, student debt is $20,532, or $6,128 less than the national average

Accepts dual and AP credit

Offers academic support services

Endowment grew 19.4% between 2010 and 2011

Cons

4-year graduation rate is 21%, 19 percentage points lower than the national average

Student-faculty ratio is higher than the national average

The University of Montana at a Glance

If you choose to attend the University of Montana, you'll join about 13,400 undergraduates and about 2,300 graduate students. The total cost for attending UM during the 2011-2012 school year, including tuition, fees, and room and board, was $18,172 for in-state students, and $32,550 for out-of-state students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To put that in perspective, the average for the same type of school was $17,136 for in-state and $29,703 for out-of-state students, according to the College Board. Room and board made up $11,500 of that total cost.

At UM, you'll have a student-to-faculty ratio of 21 to 1, higher than the national average of 16 to 1. Despite this, a small plurality of your classes, 47.3%, will be made up of 20 or fewer students, and 9.9% will have 50 or more students. Also, TAs make up only 28.7% of instructors, which is not low, but not exceptionally high either. The 4-year graduation rate is lower than average, at 21%. After 6 years, 47% of your peers will likely have graduated.

In 2011, according to U.S. News and World Report, the most popular majors were in business and related fields. Social sciences majors came in second, and majors related to communications and journalism came in third. UM offered a total of 66 majors in 2011, so you will have some latitude to move around if you decide that your first choice of major doesn't quite suit you.

Missoula is a small city, with 109,299 residents in 2010 according to the U.S. census. It's not close to any other major cities, but it does have an international airport located about 20 minutes from the UM campus.

Getting In and Financial Aid at the University of Montana

The University of Montana has rolling admissions, meaning that students are continuously admitted on an available-space basis. That said, if you apply by March 1st for the Fall semester or November 15th for the Spring semester, you will have priority status. Your application will include a $30 application fee if you pay by check, or a $36 application fee if you pay on-line. You will also submit a copy of your high school transcript, and either your SAT scores or your ACT scores. 45% of those who enrolled in Fall of 2011 chose to submit their SAT scores along with their application, and 70% chose to submit their ACT scores.

UM has a high acceptance rate of 94%, so you have a better-than-average chance of getting in if you apply. 41% of the students who were accepted to the University of Montana chose to enroll. The entering class in Fall 2011 had an average high school GPA of 3.3.

To get the ball rolling for financial aid, you'll file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). At UM, 10% of students had their financial aid need fully met. According to U.S. News and World Report, on average, 58% of student financial aid need was met at UM. As noted above, the average debt upon graduation is $6,128 less than the national average.

Application and Tuition Info

Regular Application Deadline (2013)

Rolling admissions*

Financial Aid Application Priority Deadline (2013)

February 15*

Application Fee (2013)

$36 on-line, $30 by mail*

Acceptance Rate (2011)

94%**

All Tuition & Living Expenses (2011)

$18,172 (in-state) $32,550 (out of state)**

Average Financial Aid Package (2011)

$7,599***

Percent of Students with Need Met (2011)

10%***

Average Student Debt at Graduation (2011)

$20,532****

Student Loan Default Rate (2009)

4.7%**

Living at the University of Montana

If you're looking for a diverse environment, you should know that, at the University of Montana, 85% of the students are white, and no other racial or ethnic group makes up more than 5% of the student population. The majority of the students come from within the state of Montana. Just 29% of students are from other states. In 2011, there were no international students at UM. With respect to gender, the majority of the student body is female, but not overwhelmingly so. In 2011, according to NCES, 53% of the students were women and 47% were men, so you'll have a pretty good mix of men and women when you socialize.

If you pledge, you will join 6% of men and 6% of women who are members of a fraternity or sorority. You can also get involved with about 150 clubs and organizations. You can read and study at 3 libraries. There is also an arts and culture museum, and a zoological museum, which houses the largest collection of specimens in Montana, with over 24,000 vertebrates.